In August of 2024, which was the height of the 5th wave of the COVID pandemic, 100 artists, writers and musicians set sail from Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost town. The Arctic Circle Cruise sailed around Svalbard, a group of islands in the Arctic circle. This 15 cruise dubbed an artist residency has been sailing each year since 2009. There were many acclaimed artists and writers on the ship. Artists rely on their brains for creative inspiration. Despite this the cruise set out with no protocols inn place for COVID. The doctor on board had no COVID tests, masks or anti virals like Paxlovid. More than half the artists on board became infected with COVID-19.
A very accomplished author developed long COVID which causes brain fog, and it could completely disable the artist’s career. The cruise organizers chose to pretend that COVID was a thing of the past. Any mention of the virus would go against the feel good vibes that they were promoting for the cruise. Testing passengers on such a small cruise should have been an easy task, but instead the health of the passengers was ignored. If one artist is infected in such a tight space the infections would spread quickly which is what happened. People with symptoms weren’t encouraged to wear a mask or avoid contact. Instead they were encouraged to mix and mingle even if infected.
One passenger found out that another passenger tested positive the day before the ship set sail. The passenger that tested positive decided not to go on the cruise, but everyone was encouraged to board without any testing. The “You do you” attitude doesn’t work to contain the ongoing pandemic. The Arctic Cruise organizers were negligent and they put every passenger at risk for long term disability due to long COVID. Each repeat infection increases the chance of developing long COVID.